The U of C continues to rank among the top 10 colleges in the nation, according to this year’s U.S. News & World Report list of America’s best colleges and universities, sharing the eighth spot on the list with Columbia University. Princeton and Harvard were ranked number one.

The U of C was eighth on last year’s list as well, a large jump from 15th in 2006. The relatively low score drove administrators to meet with representatives from the magazine; the meeting revealed clerical errors, and their correction led directly to the jump in 2007, administrators said last year.

Yale is third on this year’s list, while the University of Pennsylvania, Stanford, MIT, and the California Institute of Technology collectively share the fourth spot. Duke University takes the final spot rounding out the top ten.

U.S. News uses several metrics to create their list, including graduation and retention rates, financial resources, alumni donations, as well as a survey filled out by peer schools.

The 26-year-old ranking system has many critics, who claim the magazine’s quantitative approach doesn’t capture the personality and advantages of many schools. Although the U of C has joined other schools in these complaints, they have continued to participate.